Ski pole

ABSTRACT

A spike assembly for attachment to a ski pole or walking stick adapted to provide secure support on hard or icy ground surfaces is presented. The assembly includes a profiled sleeve member longitudinally movably connected to the lower end of the shaft of a ski pole or the lower end of a walking stick in resilient engagement therewith. At least one guiding ring is positioned in the interior of the sleeve member and surrounds said shaft adjacent its lower end and a nail-shaped spike member is movable relative to the said sleeve member and is adapted to be shifted from a position wherein it is completely covered by the terminal portion of said sleeve member to a position wherein it protrudes beyond the terminal portion so that said sleeve member normally covers said spike until said shaft is under a downward load, at which time said sleeve retracts, allowing said spike to protrude from said sleeve member to provide support for the ski pole or walking stick.

Unite States Paten Klemm 1 Jan.25, 1972 SKll PUILE [72] Inventor: Ernst 11(lemm, 16-18, Lautenbacher [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 5, 1969 Germany ..P 19 39 802.8

[52] U.S. Cl ..280/l1.37 1P, 135/59 [51] Int. Cl ..A63c 11/22 [58] Field of Search ..280/l 1.37 B, 11.37 N, 11.37 Z,

169,584 ll/195l Austria ..l35/59 190,454 10/1937 Switzerland .280/l1.37 N

Primary Examiner-Leo Friaglia Assistant Examiner-Milton L, Smith Attorney- Le Blanc & Shur [57] ABSTRACT A spike assembly for attachment to a ski pole or walking stick adapted to provide secure support on hard or icy ground surfaces is presented. The assembly includes a profiled sleeve member longitudinally movably connected to the lower end of the shaft of a ski pole or the lower end of a walking stick in resilient engagement therewith. At least one guiding ring is positioned in the interior of the sleeve member and surrounds said shaft adjacent its lower end and a nail-shaped spike member is movable relative to the said sleeve member and is adapted to be shifted from a position wherein it is completely covered by the terminal portion of said sleeve member to a position wherein it protrudes beyond the terminal portion so that said sleeve member normally covers said spike until said shaft is under a downward load, at which time said sleeve retracts, allowing said spike to protrude from said sleeve member to provide support for the ski pole or walking stick.

7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEU JANZS 1972 SHEH 1 @F 2 ERNST KLEMM (3 mm i Q ATTORNEYS SKI POlLlE The present invention relates to a ski pole or walking stick spike assembly to securely support a ski pole or walking stick on hard or icy ground surfaces.

Prior art ski pole or walking stick spikes which are rigidly connected to the shaft thereof frequently give cause for serious injuries as, for example, in skiing accidents. Even during handling, such as when the poles are shipped or stacked, the uncovered spikes frequently cause stab wounds or lacerations.

In an attempt to avoid injuries of this type, in some instances a rounded, cap-shaped terminal member has been substituted for the sharp pointed spike. However, ski poles with capshaped ends have proven unsatisfactory because it was found that the user was unable to obtain sufficient support on hard or icy surfaces, even when the pole was pressed into the ground with extreme force. The cap-shaped terminal member was particularly ineffective when used on hard-surfaced tracks, icy routes, and on ground covered with crusted snow.

The improved spike assembly of this invention eliminates the above difiiculties, minimizes the chance of injury, and provides a secure support for a ski pole or walking stick on hard or icy surfaces. The assembly of this invention comprises a profiled sleeve member longitudinally movably connected to the lower end of the shaft through positive resilient engagement therewith; at least one guiding ring positioned in the interior of said sleeve member and surrounding said shaft adjacent its lower end; and a nail-shaped spike member movably arranged relative to the terminal portion of the sleeve member and adapted to be shifted from a position wherein it is completely covered by the sleeve member to a position wherein it protrudes beyond the terminal portion of said member so that when the shaft is urged downwardly, said sleeve retracts upwardly exposing said nail-shaped spike member, and when the downward pressure on the shaft is released, said sleeve member descends longitudinally along said shaft to cover said spike member.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a ski pole spike which facilitates positive application of the ski pole on ice or hard snow when said pole is urged downwardly.

It is another object of this invention to provide a retractable cover for a ski pole spike which will normally cover said spike when the ski pole is not in use, and which will retract responsive to downward pressure on said pole to allow said spike to protrude thereby providing protection against accidents and injuries normally associated with exposed ski pole spikes.

It is another object of this invention to provide a spike assembly which is lightweight, dependable and easily assembled.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a spike assembly which may be manufactured economically and which may be easily mounted on a conventional ski pole or walking stick.

It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a ski pole spike assembly which contributes to both the skiing techniques and safety of the skier, and which relieves the hand and arm articulations of the skier, thus avoiding weariness and contusions.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a retractable ski pole spike assembly which will retract when the pole is urged downwardly into the ground to expose the spike, and which will descend when downward pressure is eased to enclose the spike within a protective sleeve and thereby produce a catapult effect urging the ski pole upwardly.

These and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent upon reference to the following specification, claims, and appended drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the lower portion of a ski pole or walking stick mounting a first embodiment of the spike assembly of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, similar to FIG. 1,ofa second embodiment of this invention, showing the spike member protruding from the lower end of the associated ski pole spike assembly;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, similar to FIG. I, ofa third embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view, similar to FIG. 3, ofa fourth embodiment of this invention.

The spike assembly of this invention includes a biased, profiled, retractable sleeve member adapted to be mounted at the end of a shaft, and an internal spike member normally covered by said sleeve member.

The complete spike assembly of this invention may be mounted on a conventional ski pole or a walking stick. The desired effect is obtained due to the fact that the pressure exerted when the shaft is urged into the ground surface compresses the biased member so that the sleeve member retracts and the spike member is projected. The spike member is then retracted into the sleeve member by the resilient means when the pressure on the ski pole if released.

In addition to the prevention of injuries, the ski pole spike assembly of this invention provides a unique catapult effect when a ski pole disc is attached to the outer periphery of the sleeve member. The disc, acting against the snow surface, urges the shaft upwardly as the resilient means expands when downward pressure on the shaft is released. This catapult ef fect may be varied in almost any desired manner by differing dimensions of the resilient means, and thus may be made to comply with the respective habits and requirements of an individual skier.

With attention to the drawings, the lower end of a ski pole shaft is shown in each of FIGS. 1-4 with alternate embodiments of the assembly of this invention attached thereto. Obviously, the assembly of this invention may be attached to any shaft, and although the following description makes reference to ski poles, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that walking sticks may also be utilized with the spike assembly within the scope of this invention.

With attention to FIG. I, the ski pole spike assembly comprises a nail-shaped spike member 1 pointed at its lower end 2 and having a head 3 at its opposite end. The end 3 serves as an abutment for a resilient member in the form of a spring 4 which rests on a cap-shaped terminal member 5 inserted into a sleeve member 6 and subsequently secured thereto as shown in FIG. I.

In a second embodiment, the cap-shaped member is fitted within a profiled sleeve member without being secured thereto as shown in FIG. 2.

In the third embodiment, the cap-shaped terminal portion is formed integrally with the profiled sleeve member 6 as shown in FIG. 3.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, one or more guiding rings 9 adapted to surround the shaft 8 of the ski pole are provided within the sleeve member 6. The upper surface 7 of the head 3 is rigidly attached to the ski pole shaft 8 so that, when the ski pole shaft 8 and the spike member 1 move upwardly in a longitudinal direction, the upper surface 7 forms a stop for limiting the upward movement by contacting the lowermost guiding ring 9.

With reference to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the sleeve 6 is open at its upper end 10 and is adapted to receive an annular cover member 11 when the spike assembly is mounted on shaft 8. This embodiment is preferred if the ski pole spike assembly is to be mounted on an existing ski pole shaft 8. Hereby, the end of the ski pole shaft 8 loosely engages the upper surface 7 of the head 3. Limitation of the longitudinal movement is effected by means of a single guiding ring 9 which, in this embodiment, is securely connected to the ski pole shaft 8. Upward movement is limited when ring 9 abuts the annular cover 11.

As shown in FIG. 4, the guiding ring 9 may also be in the shape of a sleeve adapted to surround the lower end of the shaft 8 adjacent the upper surface 7 of a head 3. A connector pin 29 extends radially through the ski pole shaft 8 to secure the sleeve-shaped guiding ring 9 to the lower end of the ski pole.

The head 3 of the spike member 1 does not slide along the inner wall of sleeve member 6 in this embodiment, but the lower surface of the sleevelike guiding ring 9 is provided with a suitable recess or cavity adapted to receive head 3.

The ski pole spike assembly of this invention, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, mounts the disc 26 ofa conventional ski pole, surrounding the sleeve member 6 and securely connected thereto by a clamping ring 27. In tests performed with the ski pole in accordance with this invention, it was found that this arrangement results in additional impetus to the skier when the downward pressure on the ski pole shaft 8 is released or eased. The energy stored in spring 4 acts against the disc 26 to propel shaft 8 upwardly as the sleeve 6 moves downwardly to cover the spike 1.

When assembling the disc 26 on the ski pole, the disc is simply slipped over the sleeve member 6 to abut in an upward direction the bead of the annular cover member 11. Downward movement of the disc 26 if prevented by the clamping ring 27. In this way, the disc 26 is properly seated and additional securing elements may be omitted.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

l. A ski pole spike assembly adapted to provide secure support for a ski pole on hard or icy ground surfaces, said assembly comprising, in combination, a biased profiled sleeve member longitudinally movably connected to the lower end of the shaft of said ski pole through positive engagement therewith, at least one guiding ring positioned in the interior of said sleeve member and surrounding said shaft adjacent its lower end, and a nail-shaped spike member movably arranged relative to the terminal portion of said sleeve member and normally received within said sleeve member, said spike member adapted to protrude from the terminal portion of said sleeve member when said shaft is urged downwardly and retract into said sleeve member when the downward pressure on said shaft is eased.

2. A ski pole spike assembly as set forth in claim I wherein a central guide is provided within the terminal portion of said sleeve member and surrounding said spike member, said guide permitting longitudinal movement of said spike member responsive to longitudinal movement of the ski pole shaft.

3. The ski pole spike assembly of claim 2 wherein the upper surface of the head of said spike member movably contacts the end of said ski pole shaft.

4. The ski pole spike assembly of claim 2 wherein the upper surface of the head of said spike member abuts said guide ring.

5. The ski pole spike assembly of claim 2 wherein the head of said spike member is rigidly secured to the end of said ski pole shaft.

6. The ski pole spike assembly of claim 1 wherein the terminal portion of the sleeve member is formed integrally with the said sleeve member.

7. The ski pole spike assembly of claim 2 wherein the terminal portion of the sleeve member and the central guide are formed integrally with said sleeve member. 

1. A ski pole spike assembly adapted to provide secure support for a ski pole on hard or icy ground surfaces, said assembly comprising, in combination, a biased profiled sleeve member longitudinally movably connected to the lower end of the shaft of said ski pole through positive engagement therewith, at least one guiding ring positioned in the interior of said sleeve member and surrounding said shaft adjacent its lower end, and a nail-shaped spike member movably arranged relative to the terminal portion of said sleeve member and normally received within said sleeve member, said spike member adapted to protrude from the terminal portion of said sleeve member when said shaft is urged downwardly and retract into said sleeve member wHen the downward pressure on said shaft is eased.
 2. A ski pole spike assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein a central guide is provided within the terminal portion of said sleeve member and surrounding said spike member, said guide permitting longitudinal movement of said spike member responsive to longitudinal movement of the ski pole shaft.
 3. The ski pole spike assembly of claim 2 wherein the upper surface of the head of said spike member movably contacts the end of said ski pole shaft.
 4. The ski pole spike assembly of claim 2 wherein the upper surface of the head of said spike member abuts said guide ring.
 5. The ski pole spike assembly of claim 2 wherein the head of said spike member is rigidly secured to the end of said ski pole shaft.
 6. The ski pole spike assembly of claim 1 wherein the terminal portion of the sleeve member is formed integrally with the said sleeve member.
 7. The ski pole spike assembly of claim 2 wherein the terminal portion of the sleeve member and the central guide are formed integrally with said sleeve member. 